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Session 2251

GETTING STUDENTS TO THINK ABOUT ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCES

Kauser Jahan, Kathryn Hollar, Fan Lau, Eric Constans, Paris R. von Lockette and Linda Head

Abstract The College of Engineering at Rowan University was initiated as a result of a $100 million donation in 1992 from the Rowan Foundation. The engineering faculty use innovative methods of teaching and learning to better prepare students for entry into a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. To best meet these objectives, the four engineering programs of Chemical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering have common engineering clinic classes throughout their programs of study, in which undergraduates work in teams on hands-on open-ended projects. The primary goal of Rowan University's engineering clinic classes is to involve students in multidisciplinary design/research projects that teach engineering principles in both laboratory and real-world settings. The clinics further encourage students to address environmentally conscious design and issues related to sustainable development. The Sophomore Clinic students work on a semester -long design project every year. Faculty drawn from all engineering disciplines teach the course. The design project for Fall of 2001 was to design, build and test a semi-autonomous robot that uses power provided by batteries charged up with microorganisms. This project allowed students to focus on alternate energy sources such as biofuels. Biofuels are alcohols, ethers, esters, and other chemicals made from cellulosic biomass such as herbaceous and woody plants, agricultural and forestry residues, and a large portion of municipal solid and industrial waste. The term biofuels can refer to fuels for electricity and fuels for transportation. Biofuels are good for the environment because they add fewer emissions to the atmosphere than petroleum fuels and use wastes that currently have no use. Biofuels are renewable and an inexhaustible source of fuel unlike petroleum which is non-renewable. This paper focuses on how this project encouraged engineering students to think about alternate environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Hollar, K., & Constans, E., & Jahan, K., & von Lockette, P., & Head, L. (2002, June), Getting Students To Think About Alternate Energy Sources Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11253